Hospital should feed breastfeeding mums?

[NurseRosie]

AIBU to think that if your baby is in hospital and Mum is staying as fully breastfeeding, the ward should feed Mum? The NHS is not spending money feeding the baby as mummy us making the milk. Baby feeding sometimes 2 hourly and very clingy as unwell. Ward have only given tea and biscuits. Restaurant expensive and open funny times, for example baby upset over lunch yesterday so didn't get down until 2 and they'd stopped serving hopt food for the day. Do you think they should offer mum a meal?

If you are the patient admitted to a ward,yes you should be fed by the hospital.
However,you're describing the infant is the patient.youre the parent visiting and supporting recovery
So you're responsible for your own nutrition.its not hospital role to feed visitors

All those who think NHS should feed BF Mums - what do you think you will do when the NHS ceases to exist?
Continue to abuse it and we will lose it.

Ours feed you breakfast and supper unless your an inpatient yourself then you get all three they were very good with me being gluten free I supplied the bread and they toasted it and buttered it for me

I wasn't even breastfeeding

To those who disagree with breast feeding mom's being fed do you also disagree that formula fed babies are given formula?

Or is it right that those babies nutritional needs should be met but the nutritional needs of breast fed babies shouldn't be a concern?

GimmeeMoore BMW6

On childrens wards parents are often obliged to stay round the clock to care for their children.
You've never had a child in hospital and dont know what you are talking about. This is the UK, not a 3rd world country.

When my twins were on the Paediatric Ward for 2 weeks at 16 weeks old, I was fed all my meals as I was breastfeeding. I was pretty much stuck in the room with them for 24hrs a day, so it would have been really difficult to wander to the hospital shop etc.

Although the menu was very "nursery food", it was really nice. I did get uses to 2 hot meals a day with fruit crumble and custard! Was sad when I realised that I'd not get that at home!!

When my DS (12 months old at the time) was in Manchester Children's Hospital in August, I was offered free meals as I was still feeding him twice a day.

Although I didn't take them up on the offer as I'm veggie and also don't like hospital food!

Wow.

When I was in with DD 5months, I wasn't fed the first day, and it was very hard. I was starving, I couldn't leave her, another mum left me a pack of biscuits as she was going home. It was Saturday and very little in the hospital was open in the way of a cafe. For some reason the next day, a big red bf appeared next to dd's name and I got given a hot Sunday dinner. It was lovely. I had no idea of the hospital policy to feed bf mum's or I would have asked the first day.

I do have a lot of sympathy for mum's of babies under 6 m (and realistically, under 12m) After all, my DD wasn't having a meal.

It's worth remembering the NHS isn't free. I pay an enormous amount every month for it.

I wasn't fed when my child was an inpatient. Nor did I expect it

I wasn't fed when my child was an inpatient. Nor did I expect it

Were you exclusively breastfeeding your child? If so you WNHBU to expect to be fed.

All those who think NHS should feed BF Mums - what do you think you will do when the NHS ceases to exist? Continue to abuse it and we will lose it.

It's not an abuse. BF mums are meant to be fed. Poorly BF babies need to be well fed, ergo their mothers should be well-fed.

Of all the things to complain about the NHS spending money on... and we're literally talking about pennies here..

I was fed when ds was admitted, food was pretty good as well. Given the amount of feeding and expressing I had to do it would have been difficult for me to get away.

I have been following this thread all day. OP YANBU. Some of the posts on here today have been absolutely vile. There is nothing in your posts to justify you being called an 'entitled grabby snowflake' or any of the other venom on here today. If we think it's ok to not support a stressed, tired and hungry BF mother with a bit of cheap hot food whilst she is supporting her baby in hospital what kind of society are we? Snippy posts about her preplanning soups and salads in the middle of all this, or it being fine to live off vending machines or are risible and insulting. When I was in hospital with my Dc1 I went hungry because I was terrified to leave him in the room alone to go and fetch food. Other mums should be supported and treated with empathy. OP I hope that your little one is better soon.

Daisy. I'm with you. You are the voice of intelligence and compassion on here today.

DJ, do take time peruse the thread,see the range of responses inc the no
This is posters relating their experience of U.K. Hospitals

Great post bunny.

I wonder how many of the posters disagreeing will be approaching their MPs to complain about the waste of money they perceive is happening?!

This thread has highlighted the issues that parents/carers have when caring for very vulnerable people in hospital. This obviously includes young children and but also people with disabilities who cannot be left e.g. people with an advanced dementia. If someone could come around with a trolley of reasonably priced cold food e.g. sandwiches, crisps, biscuits and fruit 2-3 times a day, this would solve the issue. It is not just breastfeeding mothers who cannot get out and access food.

If someone could come around with a trolley of reasonably priced cold food e.g. sandwiches, crisps, biscuits and fruit 2-3 times a day, this would solve the issue.

I completely agree and am actually surprised that it doesn't happen.

When I was in hospital with my baby on a paediatric ward I was fed three meals a day and he was given formula - his situation was urgent so we had nothing packed and me going to the canteen would have meant leaving him hooked up to his machines and unattended. That said I couldn't have cared less if they fed me or not at that point, all I wanted was for him to be ok. But my point is some hospitals obviously do still feed parents - I hope you get out soon.

I think hospitals should let their patients starve. Will save them more money

What crashdoll said.

There was some fuss in some papers a few months back over the prices charged by shops in hospital lobby areas- they are similar to motorway service station prices and the range of food offered is not usually adequate to provide nutrition over a few days, most especially if BF.

To be honest I personally think if there are breast feeding mothers in AND food left on the meal trolley then yes you should be fed.

I worked on a children's ward where we did feed breastfeeding mothers (and then siblings and non breast feeding mums and dads if there was enough food left over)
At the end of the day any food left on the trolley gets thrown straight into the bin so eaten or not it's already been budgeted for and I never sent a food trolley back completely empty once in ten years.

Some days there was just enough food to feed the inpatients and breast feeding mums others we weren't at capacity so could feed families too.
Our ward manager/matron would let us feed as many as possible off our food trolley as she understood it was difficult to get to the canteen when you're stuck looking after a poorly baby as it's not always as easy as leaving them and walking to the canteen.

Also realistically if you have a ward of 30 patients you're going to have 1 or 2 breastfeeding mums so it's hardly going to break the bank to feed 2 extras, however that said in my experience I've never sent back an empty meal trolley so I don't really think you would have to order any extra food anyway so long as the parent was happy to take whatever was on offer.

Well, there is a means testing issue isn't there. Why should my dc or DH and me be fed for free in hospital? I'd have no issue paying for food if I wouldn't be paying for it at home. Although I'd expect healthy choices and for it to be agreeable.

I hope your baby is out of hospital soon, think yabu though.
The canteen had no food at all though? Or just no hot food?